Marion Audubon Society

Congratulations to Michael Baker, on winning the June Challenge with 84 species! Thanks also to Michele Reyes, Paula Poblete, and Tami Reece for participating. The June Challenge provides an enjoyable experience for bird enthusiasts, even during the hot summer months. The unexpected appearance of Roseate Spoonbills made this year's challenge even more memorable. According to eBird, Marion County had 114 species reported in June.

Today is the last day to submit your June Challenge number.

If you didn't keep track along the way, you can use eBird to see how many birds you submitted on checklists in June, then subtract any you did not actually SEE.
(Heard only birds are acceptable for eBird, but not for this contest.)

GFBWT The June Challenge is a friendly competition designed to keep us birding through the summer heat while non-birders retreat indoors and miss all the fun. The aim of the competition is for individual contestants to see as many bird species as possible within the boundaries of their county between June...

Learn about the birds of Silver Springs! Join us Sunday, June 30th at 3:00 p.m. at the SAUPP Center for an informative talk by Max Weakley, Vice-President of the Marion Audubon Society and website author of MaxBirdFacts.com. You'll learn about the birdlife along the Silver River from nesting herons to migratory warblers. Max will discuss their behaviors and identifying features.

Light refreshments will be served. See you then!

Are you participating in June Challenge? There are 10 days left, so still plenty of time to start counting the birds you SEE. You'll find the rules and where to submit your number on the website below.

Last year we were the second most active county in Florida! We'd love to see more people join the fun this month!

https://floridabirdingtrail.com/june-challenge/ #:~:text=The%20June%20Challenge%20is%20a,and%20miss%20all%20the%20fun.

GFBWT The June Challenge is a friendly competition designed to keep us birding through the summer heat while non-birders retreat indoors and miss all the fun. The aim of the competition is for individual contestants to see as many bird species as possible within the boundaries of their county between June...

Congratulations to Saul Reyes, one of our members, whose wildlife photography is being featured at Silver Springs State Park! Go check it out and say hello!

Registration for the Florida Birding and Nature Festival opens on May 15th to be held in Apollo Beach in October. Some of the trips will sell out quickly.

Florida Birding & Nature Festival Annual October festival during Florida’s peak migration, with expert field trip leaders, professional seminars and workshops, and vendors for all nature-lovers.

Join us on Saturday for the Global Big Day! We'll be guiding a birding tour at Ocala Wetland Recharge Park and will be giving away bird feeders to two lucky attendees! See you at 9am! https://ebird.org/news/global-big-day-2024

Get more info and RSVP here:
https://meetu.ps/e/ML7p8/zncng/i
*RSVP appreciated but not required for this event.

Make sure you have this marked on your calendar! Saturday, May 4th at 11:00 AM at the Appleton Museum, Gabi Sullivan is giving a free presentation in the auditorium titled, “Connecting Y(our) Water.” From the aquifer to you, discover how water flows throughout the City of Ocala and the role that consumers have in protecting this precious resource and the surrounding landscapes it connects.

"Connecting Y(our) Water" with Gabi Sullivan | Appleton Museum of Art / College of Central Florida Visit the Appleton on the first Saturday of each month for free admission all day to see the special exhibitions, permanent collection, and to make art in the Artspace.

25 people joined us for a guided birding tour of Coehadjoe Park last weekend. We saw 22 species including great views of an Eastern Towhee and a pair of Summer Tanagers!

Our last big event of the season is Saturday, May 11. Join us at Ocala Wetland Recharge Park for the Global Big Day guided birding tour!

Some exciting events are coming up in the next few weeks! Below are the dates and links to these:

(Please make sure to read all information about these events on their associated links for requirements when signing up or attending.)

Tuesday, April 23rd, 7:00 PM - Backyard Birding Series finale on best practices for using bird feeders. This is your last chance to enter the raffle for the smart bird feeder!
https://marionaudubon.org/backyard-birding-series

Saturday, April 27th, 10:00AM - Guided birding tour at Coehadjoe Park.
https://meetu.ps/e/ML7ht/zncng/i

Sunday, April 28th, 8:00 AM - Guided birding walk focusing on warblers at Tuscawilla Park for Marion Audubon Society. We’re entering the peak of migration, so with any luck, we should get some great species!
https://www.meetup.com/marion-audubon-society/events/300351748/

Saturday, May 4th, 8:00 AM- Birding walk at Ocala Wetland Recharge Park with Orange Audubon Society. I’m co-leading this walk with OAS to introduce their members to our spectacular park and all the fantastic birds it holds!
https://www.facebook.com/events/910196394216471?ref=newsfeed

Tonight is the second program of our Backyard Birding Series. Join us at 7pm and be entered in the raffle!

Tonight's program:
Nesting Season

meetu.ps

Please consider helping Migratory Birds Across the Western Hemisphere by completing this form to urge Congress to support conservation funding!

AUDUBON ALERT: Help Migratory Birds Across the Western Hemisphere Urge your Members of Congress to advance conservation efforts for migratory birds.

We found 36 species along the Florida Trail today! Thanks to Michael Warren and Tami for leading the group. There was a big turnout. Only half of the group is pictured.

We had some technical difficulties with our program tonight. We will post here when we reschedule.

Check out this event!!

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park | 3k Raptor Run Run or walk to help save native wildlife species in Florida! All proceeds from this all-ages race will benefit a conservation organization to aid in the conservation and research of native wildlife. All participants will receive a Raptor Run 3K t-shirt, a finisher’s medal, post-race refreshments, ...

Our Backyard Birding Series starts Tuesday, February 27. Join us on Zoom to learn how to make bird identification easy and have a chance to win some prizes! Our grand prize for this series is a Smart Bird Feeder with photo, video, and identification capabilities!

See details on our website:
https://marionaudubon.org/backyard-birding-series

Additional programs will focus on attracting birds to your yard:
March 12
April 9
April 30

It is that time of year again - the Great Backyard Bird Count takes place from February 16-19! Check out the link below to learn how you can help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world!

Great Backyard Bird Count – Join us each February when the world comes together to watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds. Each year people from around the world come together to watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds. Join us in February!

https://www.ocalagazette.com/great-backyard-bird-count-is-feb-16-19/

Great Backyard Bird Count is Feb.16-19 - Ocala Gazette The 36th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will begin Feb. 16, and run through Feb. 19. The count takes place around the world. In 2023, there were 202 countries participating, with 555,291 global participants. The GBBC has been done every year since 1988 and is a joint project of the Cornell....

Clif from Greenway Guardians spoke to our group about Duke Energy's plan to run high-voltage power lines thru the Greenway resulting in clearing 100ft path along the entire length of the lines. Get more info and updates on their FB page. We encourage you to submit comments or concerns to Duke and our elected officials.
https://youtu.be/DwtQTby5TF4

https://www.ocalagazette.com/opinion-project-causes-concern-for-supporters-of-cross-florida-greenway/

Environmental Call-To-Action by Clifton Edwards Clifton Edwards of the Greenway Guardians presents a call-to-action to work with Duke Energy to find an existing utility route for the new transmission lin...

Have you heard the news? Bird names are changing! The AOC has decided to change English names for birds with eponyms (named after people), starting with 80 species found in the US and Canada.

It appears this will only impact 9 birds found in our area (3 of those are rare).
Bonaparte's Gull
Forster's Tern
Wilson's Snipe
Cooper's Hawk
Swainson's Thrush
Bachman's Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow (rare)
Swainson's Warbler (rare)
Baird's Sandpiper (rare)

Read the announcement here:
https://americanornithology.org/about/english-bird-names-project/

A lot of people have been talking about bird names for the past few days. I'm so glad that people are thinking about birds but have seen some confusion and misinterpretation. These are my personal thoughts on eponymous bird names...

It's not for me to judge what makes someone else uncomfortable, but I know that after I started learning a little more about the history of some of the people honored in bird names, it makes ME uncomfortable.

For example, Winfield Scott was a US Army officer in the 1800s. Scott's Oriole was named for him by a junior officer, but there is no evidence that Scott himself ever had an interest in birds. He was very highly regarded as a General, but, among other things, he presided over the forced removal of the Cherokee (the Trail of Tears).

Many people today could say that Scott's Oriole is named for a person who carried out the brutal persecution of their ancestors. That bothers me.

We should not ignore that history, but it shouldn't be linked to the bird.

The AOS has already accepted that such names can be changed (Thick-billed Longspur), and it is clear that Scott's Oriole and many others should also be changed.

Taking names case-by-case would be a quagmire of moral judgment, competing interests, PR campaigns, influence-peddling, and more.

Renaming ALL these birds for their appearance, sounds, habitat, etc. is the only viable solution. Not because all these people were bad, but because it's impossible to determine who was "good enough" to put their name on a bird.

And simply because birds are not objects, and should not have to carry the banner for a person, no matter how good that person was.

This process will not be fast and I don't expect anyone to adjust immediately to new names as they are announced. I ask everyone, myself included, to keep an open mind and stay flexible as things change.

We are partnering with Marion County Parks & Recreation on their two-part series, For the Birds. This includes an introduction to birding talk and a guided birding trip to Carney Island Recreation & Conservation Area.

Register thru the county at: https://bit.ly/460FsfZ or call 352-438-2840.

Join us for this November's Walks & Talks!

This month's theme is For the Birds and includes trips to Carney Island Recreation & Conservation Area as well as a talk given by the Marion Audubon Society.

To register visit, https://bit.ly/460FsfZ or call 352-438-2840.

Notice: Duke Energy is proposing to run high-voltage power lines thru the Cross Florida Greenway, home to federally protected species including Florida Scrub-jays, Gopher Tortoises and Indigo Snakes. This would require creating a 100ft clearing thru the Greenway. We encourage you to learn more and submit your comments to Duke by their November 17 deadline. Greenway Guardians has a lot of information and a petition that can be signed.

https://www.duke-energy.com/our-company/about-us/electric-transmission-projects/ross-prairie-to-shaw

Opinion: Project causes concern for supporters of Cross Florida Greenway - Ocala Gazette In September, I learned that Duke Energy is considering putting tall steel towers, connected by high-voltage electrical lines in the Cross Florida Greenway. In a world of diminishing greenspace, this cannot be good for the quality of life of Greenway visitors, our community, and the native creatures...

Tomorrow is October Big Day! Meet us at the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park to join us while we search for birds and count them in this worldwide event! See you at 8am!

Find more info here:

October Big Day - Ocala Wetland Recharge Park, Sat, Oct 14, 2023, 8:00 AM | Meetup Join Marion Audubon at Ocala Wetland Recharge Park to kick off October Big Day - an opportunity to celebrate birds by seeing how many you can find in a 24 hour period. Joi

Ocala’s own Ocala Wetland Recharge Park was recently added to the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail sites!! Congratulations on this well deserved recognition!!

Announcing 14 new Trail sites! 📣
Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail sites are chosen for their outstanding birding, wildlife viewing and educational opportunities, and include rare bird hotspots, iconic Florida landscapes, and vital urban habitats. To experience all 14 new areas, check out the full list below and learn more on the Trail’s website: floridabirdingtrail.com

🦉 Alachua County: Sweetwater Wetlands Park
🌳 Indian River County: Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area
🌸 Leon County: Lafayette Heritage Trail Park
💚 Marion County: Ocala Wetland Recharge Park
🦉 Palm Beach County: Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area, Cypress 🌳 Creek Natural Area, North Jupiter Flatwoods, Pine Glades Natural Area, Winding 🌸 Waters Natural Area and Yamato Scrub Natural Area.
💚 Polk County: The Nature Conservancy’s Tiger Creek Preserve
🦉 Saint Johns County: Dr. Robert B. Hayling Freedom Park
🌳 Santa Rosa County: Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area
🌸 Manatee County: Robinson Preserve

Media release: https://bit.ly/45TEBOY

View our Social Media Policy: https://bit.ly/3qsncNb

The 2023 fall schedule has been posted to MeetUp. Be sure to sign up for events and check back frequently for any pop-up events!

Marion Audubon Society | Meetup Our goal is to connect people with birds and other wildlife for the pure joy of it, but also so we can learn how to preserve and restore the precious ecosystems on which wildlife depends. Everyone is welcome.We offer guided birding walks, monthly educational programs and occasional field trips from

We want to hear from you!
Deadline for newsletter submissions is August 31. Please send to Kristin at [email protected].

JUNE Challenge results are in! Congratulations to Tami Reece with a new record 115 (+2 non-ABA) species! Our runners up are Alice Horst with 106 (+3) and Scott Robinson with 104.

Fun facts about the contest:
🐦‍⬛128 species were recorded in June (including 4 non-ABA birds) in Marion County.
🐦‍⬛86 species were reported on Day 1.
🐦‍⬛15 birds were seen only once during the competition and we had some really good ones make an appearance. Here are some of them with the finder listed. * indicates that was the only time it was seen.
*Least Tern Liz
*Caspian Tern Scott
*American Avocet Alice
*Belted Kingfisher Michele,Tami, Alice
*Black &White Warbler Curtis Garth
*King Rail Scott
*Royal Tern Liz, Steven, Darcy, Alice, Tami, Michele
*Hairy Woodpecker Tami
*Lesser Scaup Steven &Darcy
*Sandwich Tern Tami, Liz, Michele
Common Tern Alice
Roseate Spoonbill multiple sightings
Ring-necked Duck (3 individuals in 2 locations) Alice & Michele
American Coot(seen twice in 2 locations) Tim Hardin, S&D
*Pied-billed Grebe Alice
*Ruddy Shelduck Liz
*Helmeted Guineafowl S&D
*American Redstart Tami
*Greater Yellowlegs Alice

🐦‍⬛Our county's participation doubled, and only one county in Florida had more participants. Thank you to all who participated!

See the full contest results here:
https://floridabirdingtrail.com/2023results/

This is really interesting! Hope you enjoy!!

Birds get revenge by using anti-bird spikes in nests A report suggests they are using sharp metal deterrents like humans do - to keep pests away.